On April 2nd 1973, construction on the panel tower blocks in Slovakia’s largest estate, Bratislava’s borough of Petržalka was launched. According to data from 2011, it now has more than 105,000 inhabitants. Its building required the demolition of already existing houses, and according to the original project it was to become the most modern housing estate in Slovakia with shops, schools, healthcare and leisure time facilities as well as a very good public transport system.
The result, however, was far from the original project. In the late 70s, it was decided that in order to save money, cheap and crowded blocks of flats should be quickly built. The social and transport infrastructure has remained unfinished until today. The poor connection with the left bank of the Danube River and the rest of the Slovak capital is still an open issue. Different proposals for a light train system have been discussed many times in the past decade, but without a concrete result.
Anca Dragu
